San Cristóbal Verapaz () is a town, with a population of 20,961 (2018 census),Population of cities & towns in Guatemala
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municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the Guatemalan department of

Alta Verapaz Alta Verapaz () is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and ...

. It is located approximately 29 km from

Cobán Cobán ( kek, Kob'an), fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the Capital (political), capital of the Departments of Guatemala, department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán mun ...

, the capital of Alta Verapaz and about 210 km from

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...

. San Cristóbal belongs to the Pokimchi' linguistic area. Its main income source is the «Cobán» shoe factory, which specializes in industrial rubber boots, which are sold both locally and internationally.

History

Franja Transversal del Norte

The Northern Transversal Strip was officially created during the government of General Carlos Arana Osorio in 1970, by Legislative Decree 60-70, for agricultural development. The decree literally said: "It is of public interest and national emergency, the establishment of Agrarian Development Zones in the area included within the municipalities: San Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista,

Nentón Nentón is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. Its territory extends 717 km2 with a population of 45,679. It became a municipality on December 5, 1876 and was formerly known as San Benito Nentón. The po ...

, Jacaltenango,

San Mateo Ixtatán San Mateo Ixtatán is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. It is situated at above sea level in the Cuchumatanes mountain range and covers of terrain. It has a cold climate and is located in a cloud forest. The temper ...

, and Santa Cruz Barillas in

Huehuetenango Huehuetenango () is a city and municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango. The city is situated from Guatemala City, and is the last departmental capital on the Pan-American High ...

; Chajul and San Miguel Uspantán in Quiché; Cobán, Chisec,

San Pedro Carchá San Pedro Carchá, usually referred to as Carchá, is a town, with a population of 16,353 (2018 census),Citypopulatio ...

, Lanquín,

Senahú Senahú is a town and municipality of the Department of Alta Verapaz in the Republic of Guatemala. The community of San Antonio Senahú was founded by Q'eqchi' Mayan refugees from a series of 19th-century conflicts in the Ishi Mountains of Centr ...

, Cahabón and Chahal, in Alta Verapaz and the entire department of Izabal." San Cristóbal Verapaz was not part of the Strip, but it was bordering it and felt the devastating effects of the

Guatemala Civil War The Guatemalan Civil War was a civil war in Guatemala fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups. The government forces have been condemned for committing genocide against the Maya population ...

which was fought mainly in the Strip during the 1980s.

Religious celebrations and town fairs

Famous citizens

Erick Barrondo The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ai ...

: Olympic silver medalist in London 2012 * Rodolfo Narciso Chavarría: music composer

Climate

San Cristóbal Verapaz has

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Cfb'').

Geographic location

Municipal distribution

The rural area of the municipality has eighty nine communities, while the villa has five neighborhoods: Santa Ana, San Felipe, San Cristóbal, San Sebastián y Esquipulas. The municipality is divided into the following microregions: * One villa * Six large settlements * Fifty seven small settlements * Sixteen common land areas * Five neighborhoods * Four cantones * Three residential areas There are eighteen populated locations that are considered the most important due to the number of inhabitants and utility availability and access:

Source:

Borders

Notes and references

Bibliography

External links

San Cristóbal Verapaz online

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Cristobal Verapaz Municipalities of the Alta Verapaz Department